Class E \ & 

Book, B3_ 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



T5R€ GOhDext 



v. 



39UTHOROF 

*TR£ ROSARY 1 



George H.Doran Company/ 

New York 





Copyright, 1914, 
By George H. Doran Company 



OCT 19 1914 

iv 

©CI.A3S7094 

1u, 



PREFACE 



THIS little book has been written in 
response to many anxious questions; and 
as the result of much personal experience 
of the necessity for a careful study of Holy 
Scripture, on the important matter of inter- 
cessory prayer. 

No attempt is made to deal with the wide 
subject of the prayer-life, in all its bearings* 
Attention is mainly concentrated upon the 
one point under consideration* 

The subject has not been approached 
along the lines of sentiment, nor of pre- 
conceived habits of thought; but entirely 
along the clear pathway of Bible precept 
and practice* 

Every idea put forward, every sugges- 
tion made, is based upon the Scriptures* 
The passages quoted will be found to 
range from Genesis to Revelation* 

Should any other yiew of the subject 
occur to the reader, let it equally rest upon 



PREFACE 



the firm foundation of the Word of God* 
Let us study, as we also seek to pray, 
guided entirely by the Holy Spirit; and 
may our prayers and aspirations ascend to 
the mercy-seat, wafted thither by the 
Golden Censer of His sacred Presence 
within the souL 

FLORENCE L, BARCLAY 



The Vicarage, 
Hertford Heath, Feb., 1914 



CONTENTS 

Chap. Page 

I. " I Pray not for the World" . . 11 

II. For Whom to Pray .... 17 

III. The True Channels for Prayer- 

Energy 24 

IV. "Remember Lot's Wife" ... 33 
V. The Fire Beneath 39 

VI. "According to the Will of God " . 43 

VII. "He Shall Comfort Your Hearts" . 52 

VIII. To Those in the Far Country . . 56 

vii 



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THE 



GOLDEN CENSER 

CHAPTER I 

"I PRAY NOT FOR THE WORLD" 

IN STUDYING the earthly prayer- 
life of the Lord Jesus Christ, we 
realise one great fact: that every 
prayer of His was heard and answered* 

We have His own testimony to this: John xi. 41,42. 
** Father ♦ ♦ • Thou hearest me always 
and the testimony of a thoughtful and prac- 
tical woman, who knew Him well: John xi. 22 . 
" Whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God t God 
will give it Thee/' 

Why was this? All other lives, even of 
Bible saints, abound with prayers which 
cannot be granted, requests which may not 
be bestowed, desires which must not be 
fulfilled. 

The prayers of the Lord Jesus were 
always in accordance with the will of God; 
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they never clashed with the working out 
of the Divine purpose, or disturbed the har- 
mony of spiritual law* 

One instance only, do we find, of a 
prayer which could not have been granted * t 
a prayer wrung from Him by great trouble 

John xii. 27. of soul: 44 Father, save me from this hour/' 
But it was instantly amended? self was 
eliminated, the glory of God taking its 
place J and that prayer reached the Father's 
throne in a form which brought down 

john xii. 28. an immediate and audible response: 
" * Father, glorify Thy name/ Then came 
there a voice from heaven, saying : 4 1 have 
both glorified it, and will glorify it again/ " 
When doubtful as to whether a cry of 
the soul is in harmony with the will of 
God, apply this sacred test Cut out the 
44 1 " and the 44 Me/' and, where self stood 
at first, substitute "the glory of God/' 
Then the answer will come with a power 
which shall reach and thrill, not only the 

John xii. 29. troubled soul itself, but those also that 
stand by* 



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In considering this difficult and impor- 
tant question as to how to pray always 
within the Will of God, we cannot do 
better than study the manner and method 
of the Lord Jesus in prayer; not only as 
regards those things for which He prayed, 
but also those things for which He did not 
pray* Foremost, and all-important among 
these, is the great statement of John xvii* 
9: "I pray not for the world/' 

Jesus Christ did not pray for the world* 
Such a prayer as " O God, save India! " or 
44 O God, have mercy upon the millions of 
China! " so common in our missionary 
prayer-meetings, would never have been 
heard from those inspired lips* 

Jesus Christ died for the world, but He 
did not pray for it* His followers pray 
for the world, but they very rarely die for it* 

A great and far-reaching truth underlies 
this statement of John xvii* 9* 

Human prayer, either individual or col- 
lective, must never clash with any great 
law of the spiritual kingdom* 

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Foremost among the laws of that king- 
dom, affecting mankind, is the great fact 
Rev. xxii. i 7 . of free-will* " Whosoever will, let him 
take/' 

The right of choice, the responsibility of 
choice, rests with every human soul, and 
is its birthright 

Prayer must never clash with this 
Divine law of free-will* If a soul could be 
prayed into the Kingdom of Heaven, it 
would cease to be a free agent, and would 
become an automaton, unconsciously 
forced into salvation by a motive power, 
outside its own faith or its own desires* 
Its new birth would be the result, not of 
belief on its own part, but of an act of 
faith, and a responsive act of omnipotence, 
between another soul and God* 

When the world believes, the world will 
john iii. 16. be saved* " For God so loved the world, 
that He gave His only begotten Son, that 
whosoever beKeveth in Him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life/' 

You can win the world into belief, but 

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you cannot pray the world into salvation; 
nor are you meant to do so* 

Even He, Who came to save the world, 
had to say: 44 1 pray not for the world/' John xvii. 9. 

A mistaken idea on this subject is re- 
sponsible for much disappointed faith, and 
for a vast amount of wasted prayer-energy, 
which might work wonders if directed into 
the right channel. 

Prayer for the world at large, for any 
particular country, for any community of 
unsaved people, or even for unconverted 
individuals, if it takes the form of plead- 
ing with God to " save them/' to 44 bring 
them in/' to "pour out His Holy Spirit 
upon them," to 44 have mercy on them," to 
" convert them," is uninspired and unscrip- 
tural prayer* It is either thoughtlessly urg- 
ing upon God to do that which He has 
already most fully and completely done, 
thus practically disregarding and denying 
the " It is finished " of Calvary, and the John xix. 3 o. 
great Gift at Pentecost; or it is beseeching John xiv. 16. 
God to intervene between His own law of 

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free-will and the souls to whom He has 
granted the right of choice; taking from 
them that right, and saving them, apart 
from their own desire, in response to the 
faith of others* 

God can is a glorious fact; but God 
2 Tim. ii. 13. cannot equally blessed, in its might and 
in its majesty* And the greatest of all the 
44 Cannots " is that He cannot do this* 

Bowing to that fundamental law, the 
loving, yearning, human Christ, Who came 
john Hi. 17. To save the world 
john vi. 33. To give life to the world 
john viii. 12. To give light to the world 

john i. 29. To take away the sin of the world 
1 john ii. 2. To be the propitiation for the whole 
world 

john xvii. 9 . yet had to say: " Father ♦ ♦ ♦ I pray not 
for the world/* 

i 



16 



CHAPTER n 



FOR WHOM TO PRAY 

CHE BIBLE is full of instructions 
i concerning prayer; but you will 
not find therein any command to 
pray directly for outsiders, for the heathen, 
or for the world at large* Search and see* 
For whom are we told to pray? 
1st* For one another* James v. 16. 

2nd* For all the Saints* E P h. V i. is. 

3rd* For the Apostles* 2 Th ess . m. x . 

4th* For the sick* Ja mes v. i 4 . 

5th* For them that persecute you* Matt. v. 44. 
Now examine in detail some of the 
prayers of the Lord Jesus Christ* 

* Simon* Simon* behold* Satan hath de- Luke xxii. 32. 
sired to have you, that he may sift you as 
wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that 
thy faith fail not/' 

" I will pray the Father, and He shall J 0 ^ i6, 
give you another Comforter, that He may 

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abide with you for ever; even the Spirit 
of truth; Whom the world cannot receive; 
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth 
Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth 
with you, and shall be in you/' 

Can we wonder that the apostles never 
thought it necessary to supplement their 
Master's prayer with petitions of their 
own? The Early Church knew well how 
fully this prayer had been answered on the 
Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit 
was sent to abide with us for ever* It was 
left for a later generation, to whom perhaps 
the Blessing of Pentecost was less of a 
fully experienced reality, to form the habit 
of constantly reiterating: "Send Thy 
Holy Spirit! 99 Oh, hush such vain repe- 
tition, in presence of the sublime prayer of 
the Christ, eighteen centuries ago: " I will 
pray the Father, and He shall give you an- 
other Comforter, that He may abide with 
you for ever"; and Peter's testimony, on 
the Day of Pentecost, to the complete ful- 
Acts a. 33. filment of that prayer and promise: 

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" Therefore being by the right hand of God 
exalted, and having received of the Father 
the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath 
shed forth this, which ye now see and 
hear/' Instead of praying that the Holy 
Ghost may be 44 sent/' let us ask that we 
may realise His Presence here, and receive 
in full measure His wonderful Indwelling, 
with all it involves of grace, of peace, and 
of power* 

The longest recorded prayer of the Lord 
Jesus is in the J 7th chapter of the Gospel 
according to St John, rightly called 44 The 
Holy of Holies of the Bible/' This prayer 
is full of petitions for His own people* 
Notice particularly the 20th verse, which 
widens out those petitions, embracing — 
prophetically — 44 them also which shall be- John xvn. 20 . 
lieve on Me through their word and the 
2 1st verse, which explains that the world 
is to be won into belief, by observing the 
unity of Christians : 44 That they all may 
be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and 
I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: 

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that the world may believe that Thou hast 
sent Me/' 

Now study the prayers of the apostles* 
Take a most comprehensive passage of 
St Paul's in his epistle to the Colossians, 
the 1st chapter, 2nd and following verses: 

coi. i. 2 . " To the saints and faithful brethren in 
Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be 
unto you, and peace, from God our Father 

coi. i. 3 . and the Lord Jesus Christ* We give thanks 
to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, praying always for you, since we 

coi. i. 4 . heard of your faith in Christ Jesus/' Note 
that it was their act of faith and acceptance 
of Jesus Christ, which brought them within 
the radius of the apostle's prayers* 

In the 5th and 6th verses he goes on to 
mention the gospel message, which came to 
them as to the whole world, but was bear- 
ing fruit in them, because hearing it had 
meant believing it, receiving it, and enter- 
ing into " the grace of God in truth/' To 

coi. i. 9 . which he adds: 44 For this cause we also, 
since the day we heard it, do not cease to 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



pray for you **% and then foDow the won- 
derful and inspired requests, put up daily 
by St* Paul to the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, on behalf of these young believers 
— prayers which were fully and richly 
answered* 

Now it may be suggested that the 
apostle's statement that he prayed for these 
early Christians after he heard of their faith, 
does not necessarily imply that he did not . 
pray beforehand for their conversion* 
Quite so* But where in the whole Bible do 
we find a single instance or record of any 
such prayer? The nearest approach to it 
is Romans x* U 

44 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer R 0m . x. i. 
to God for Israel is, that they might be 
saved/' And we need not enter into a 
lengthy discussion as to whether that pas- 
sage implies definite prayer, or is merely an 
outburst of earnest longing; nor as to 
whether Israel, being the chosen people of 
God, can be considered to correspond in 
any sense to the heathen or to the uncon- 
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verted of this dispensation* It is sufficient 
to inquire: Was that prayer granted? 
Were the people of Israel, as a nation, saved 
in response to the apostle's supplication? 

One single recorded prayer of our Lord 
Jesus Christ was for outsiders: the Roman 
Luke xxiii. 34. soldiers for whom He pleaded: "Father, 
forgive them; for they know not what they 
do/' But that request was not for a gen- 
eral forgiveness of the sins of those soldiers, 
such as would affect their eventual salva- 
tion; but rather that God the Father would 
overlook one definite act then being done 
to Himself, for which the suffering Saviour, 
in perfect justice, but with a marvellous ex- 
hibition of loving kindness, pleaded ignor- 
ance* 

Let us pause for one moment to ask our- 
selves : do we, when pierced by the sharp 
pain of insult or injury, hasten to explain 
that those who are doing us the wrong most 
likely do it unwittingly, without realising 
the extent of the hurt they are inflicting; 
and that, therefore, we wish it at once for- 

22 



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gotten and forgiven ? This is a very Christ- 
like trait. In suggesting prayer of this kind 
for our enemies and traducers — and, alas, 
they are more often found within the 
Church than without it — our Lord Jesus 
Christ mentions three things which should 
come to them as the result of having been 
our persecutors and slanderers : Love, Matt. v. u. 
blessing, and good* 

We like to think of those Roman soldiers 
as never altogether losing the effect of hav- 
ing passed for one moment into the prayer- 
realm of the heart and mind of Jesus* And 
surely the prayer of the dying Stephen must Acts vii. 60. 
have pursued young Saul, of Tarsus, with 
a haunting blessing* Perhaps it became 
one of those pricks, against which his con- 
science found it so hard to kick* Acts ix. s . 

But this is a digression* Let us return 
to our subject. 

What is to be our attitude toward the 
world? If we may not pray the world into 
salvation, what then can we do ? We need 
not seek far for the answer* 

44 Go I Preach! " Mark *vi. 15. 

23 



CHAPTER HI 

THE TRUE CHANNELS FOR 
PRAYER -ENERGY 




'O! PREACH! 

This is our duty; this is our 
• privilege; this is the sacred trust 



john xx. 21. committed to us by our ascended Lord* 
" As My Father hath sent Me, even so send 
Mark xvi. 15. I you*" " Go ye into all the world, and 
preach the gospel to every creature/' 

It is easier to remain upon our knees, than 
to arise and go* 
It is easier to pray, than to preach* 
But the clear command is: "Go! 
Preach!" 

And notice that with the fulfilling of that 
command, our responsibility ceases* The 
great law of individual choice comes in* 
The mind, now made aware of the good 
news of the love of God and the finished 
work of Jesus, through our instrumentality 
and by the enlightening power of the Holy 
Spirit accompanying the Word, must now 

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come to a decision, face to face with the 

God Who calls it, and with the Saviour 

Who has redeemed it* 44 He that believeth 

♦ ♦ ♦ shall be saved; but he that believeth Mark xvi. ks. 

not shall be condemned/' The Spirit and 

the bride may say, " Come/' He that Rev. xxu. i 7 . 

heareth may say, " Come/' But there all 

pressure from without must cease* The 

final issue remains with the individual will. 

44 And whosoever will, let him take the 

water of life freely/' 

What are we to do for the world? 

Up to the measure of our possible capac- 
ity, exactly what our Lord and Master did 
for it For, " As My Father hath sent Me, John xx. 21. 
even so send I you/' 

We have already seen what the Lord 
Jesus Christ came to do for the world, and 
when we go forth at His bidding it is to 
strive to bring light, life and the message 
of reconciliation and forgiveness* 

"Go ye into all the world/' Mark xvi. is. 

But if you cannot go? Then pray for 
those who can, and who do, go* 

25 



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And this brings us to the right channel 
for missionary prayer-energy* 

Our Lord Himself gives us a very clear 
and precise missionary prayer* 

After pointing out, as He well might do 
to-day, the greatness of the need and the 
inadequacy of the means for meeting it, He 
Matt. ix. 3 8. adds: "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the 
harvest, that He will send forth labourers 
into His harvest/' 

Notice how completely this — the great 
missionary prayer of the Bible — is within 
the will of God; even leaving entirely in 
His hands the question as to whom He 
would choose, although the men who 
prayed it were very ready to go them- 
selves; and, as a matter of fact, were almost 
immediately sent, 

Mark also that the first suggestion of this 
prayer arose from the fact that the heart 
Matt. ix. 36. of the Saviour was "moved with compas- 
sion" over a wandering multitude, "because 
they were scattered abroad, as sheep hav- 
ing no shepherd," 

26 



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On another occasion, somewhat later in 
His ministry, when again He was "moved Matt. xiv. i 4 . 
with compassion" toward a great waiting 
multitude, He said to His disciples: "Give Matt. xiv. 16. 
ye them to eat/' It is helpful to note that 
this yearning of the loving heart of the 
Christ over the crowds who needed help- 
ing, healing, teaching, feeding, always took 
the form of calm and practical prayer and 
action* Emotion never moved Him from 
His steadfast purpose of walking, serene 
and ready, within the will of God* John iv . 34. 

Now examine in detail our Bible direc- 
tions as to how we should help by prayer 
in evangelistic and missionary work* 

St* Paul says, in 2 Corinthians i* U, "Ye 2 Cor . i. n. 
also helping together by prayer for us, that 
for the gift bestowed upon us by the means 
of many persons, thanks may be given by 
many on our behalf*" And in Romans xv* 
30, 3 J, "Now I beseech you, brethren, for Rom. xv. 30, 
the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the 3 *" 
love of the Spirit, that ye strive together 
with me in your prayers to God for me; 

27 



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that I may be delivered from them that do 
not believe in Judea; and that my service 
which I have for Jerusalem may be ac- 
cepted of the saints/' And, most important 
Col. iv. 2-4. of all: Colossians iv* 2-4, "Continue in 
prayer, and watch in the same with thanks- 
giving ; withal praying also for us, that God 
would open unto us a door of utterance, to 
speak the mystery of Christ * ♦ ♦ that I 
may make it manifest, as I ought to speak/' 
Here are the true channels for our in- 
tercessory prayers on behalf of foreign 
lands, and of evangelistic work in our own 
land* Pray for the messengers — that a 
"door of utterance" may be opened unto 
them* Pray about the message — that it 
may be truth Divine to every heart, and 
may go forth in the power of the Holy 
Spirit* 

And, even this, is taking you three steps 
Matt. ix. 38. beyond the injunction of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and is presupposing that you have 
already prayed the labourers out into the 
harvest fields* Always be ready to retrace 

28 



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those steps when necessary; and, in answer 
to that primary prayer, you may find your- 
self standing before a "door of utterance/' 
and depending upon the prayers of those 
at home, for its opening* 

One more very comprehensive pas- 
sage of instructions as to how to pray for 
all fellow-believers, and for ministers, 
evangelists, and preachers* "Praying al- E P h. vi. 18-20. 
ways with all prayer and supplication in 
the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all 
perseverance and supplication for all saints; 
and for me, that utterance may be given 
unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, 
to make known the mystery of the gospel, 
for which I am an ambassador in bonds: 
that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought 
to speak/' 

Notice that in all these explicit petitions 
there is no trace of such expressions as "O 
God, save souls !" or "Lord, convert the im- 
penitent!" "May sinners be converted 
unto Thee/' 

These latter words take us to the 5 1st 

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Psalm, where we almost expect to find 
them* But no* In the form taken by this 
wonderful prayer, we have our subject 
borne out, in every detail: first, prayer for 
the messenger; then, power in the message* 
For here the messenger pleads for himself: 
Ps. li. 12, 13. "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; 

and uphold me with Thy free Spirit* Then 
will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and 
sinners shall be converted unto Thee/' 

In the first epistle of Paul the Apostle to 
Timothy, the 2nd chapter and the first four 
verses, we find this very comprehensive 
1 Tim. ii. 1-4. passage about prayer* "I exhort therefore, 
that, first of all, supplications, prayers, in- 
tercessions, and giving of thanks, be made 
for all men; for kings, and for all that are 
in authority; that we may lead a quiet and 
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty* 
For this is good and acceptable in the sight 
of God our Saviour; Who will have all 
men to be saved, and to come unto the 
knowledge of the truth/' 

While this passage undoubtedly com- 
30 



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mands universal intercession, there is not 
a word in it countenancing the mistaken 
lines of prayer which form the subject 
of our consideration; in fact the passage, 
taken as a whole, implies with absolute 
clearness, that the supplications, prayers 
and intercessions apply rather to the life 
and conduct of those for whom the Early 
Church thus prayed; the closing clause 
beautifully bearing out the teaching of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, given in the \ 3th chap- 
ter of the gospel according to St* John : "By j 0 hn xm. 35 . 
this shall all men know that ye are My 
disciples, if ye have love one to another/' 
Also in the \ 7th chapter of the same Gos- 
pel, and the 2 1st verse: "That they all may John XV ii. 
be one * ♦ ♦ that the world may be- 
lieve"; and in the 23rd verse: "That they j 0 hn xvu. * 3 . 
may be made perfect in one ♦ • ♦ that the 
world may know that Thou hast sent 
Me/' 

A quiet and peaceable life, a spirit of love 
and unity amongst all branches of the 
Church of Christ, would do more to bring 

31 



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all men to the knowledge of the truth, than 
any amount of praying and preaching 
while discord is rife* 

Here then is another inspired channel for 
our prayer-energy* Pray the Church into 
love and unity, so that the world may have 
some chance of believing in the Church's 
Lord* 



32 



CHAPTER IV 



"REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE" 

QOW, before turning to the more 
practical, experimental, and indi- 
vidual application of our subject, 
let us examine one instance, given in 
God's Holy Word, of importunate prayer 
for the salvation of a family — a salvation 
to be accomplished against their own will 
and inclination, without any act of repent- 
ance, faith, or surrender on their part* 

We shall see how these urgent and per- 
sistent prayers, for the salvation of a back- 
sliding relative and his worldly family, 
were granted by the Lord; but with what 
strange and disastrous results* 

Turn to Genesis xviii*, and you find 
yourself on the plains of Mamre, overlook- Gen. xix. 27, 
ing the Vale of Siddim, which is now the 
Dead Sea* On this high table-land, Abra- 

33 



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ham walked in earnest communion with his 
God* The two angels had gone on to 
Sodom — see verse 22 of chapter xviii* and 
verse \ of chapter xix* — Thus Abraham 
found himself alone with that blessed One 
Gen. xviii. i. — the Angel of Jehovah — Who "appeared 
unto him in the plains of Mamre*" 

During this quiet time of converse, the 
Gen. xviii. *>, Lord's purposes of investigation and of 
judgment were fully revealed to Abraham? 
and Abraham's whole soul yearned over 
his own kindred in that doomed city* 

Though not actually named in the ac- 
count, it is impossible to doubt that the 
anxious cry of his heart was for Lot, and 
for Lot's erring family* And we know the 
Lord took it to be so; for we read in the 
Gen. xix. 29. 19th chapter: "And it came to pass, when 
God destroyed the cities of the plain, that 
God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot 
out of the midst of the overthrow, when He 
overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt/' 
Also we find how, owing to this special 
mercy of God, in response to Abraham's 
34 



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importunate prayer, Lot and his family 
were saved from out the destruction of that 
condemned city, against their will; for 
"While he lingered, the men laid hold upon G en . xix. 16. 
his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, 
and upon the hand of his two daughters; 
the Lord being merciful unto him: and they 
brought him forth, and set him without the 
city." 

Mark the result, and then let us ask our- 
selves: Is this the sort of salvation we de- 
sire for our unconverted relatives and 
friends, when we so persistently cry: "O 
Lord, save them! O Lord, have mercy 
upon them!"? 

(True, this was a forcible leading into 
safety from physical death, rather than 
from spiritual danger. But there is no doubt 
that, in all these Old Testament happen- 
ings, the natural typified the spiritual. Just 
as Abraham's call to be a tent-dweller typi- Heb xi 9t K 
fied consecration of heart and life, so Lot's 
progress toward Sodom, and eventual Gen. xm 12. 
abandonment of tent-dwelling for a house Gen. xiv. 12. 
35 



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in that city, clearly indicates the backslider; 
while his wife and daughters, wholly ab- 
sorbed in the life of Sodom, stand unmis- 
takably for the unconverted of this dispen- 
sation* 

It may be useful here to note, in passing, 
Gen. xix. 14. the solemn lesson of Genesis xix* \ 4* When 
Lot, alarmed by the angel's warning, at- 
tempted to pass on the message to his own 
children, saying: "Up, get you out of this 
place? for the Lord will destroy this city!" 
his words had no effect "He seemed as 
one that mocked, unto his sons in law/' It 
is useless for a backslider to attempt to be 
a preacher, especially in his own home cir- 
cle* Backsliding and preaching are not 
compatible*) 

Now mark the result of Divine interven- 
tion in response to Abraham's urgent and 
repeated requests* 

Lot's wife was no sooner free from the 
compelling control of the angel, than she 
paused, and looked back* The pause must 
have been a long one, and the intention to 

36 



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return, if possible, very determined, for a 
descending wave of molten bitumen caught 
her, swept over her where she stood, and 
left her standing there, firmly fixed to the 
ground, a living woman, in a fast-harden- 
ing prison; a solitary statue of Unregener- 
ate Despair, at which Jesus pointed a warn- 
ing finger, nineteen hundred years later, 
when He said: "Remember Lot's wife/' Luke xvii. 32. 
Better far for that poor woman to have per- 
ished among the multitude in the city, who, 
like herself, preferred sin to safety* What 
must have been Abraham's feelings when- 
ever, in crossing the plain, he passed near 
that upright tomb, and traced in its outline 
the form and figure of one for whom he 
had offered such insistent prayer* 

Into the darkness of the mountain cave 
we dare not follow Lot and his two daugh- 
ters* Suffice it to say, that from that in- 
famous dwelling-place there issued forth 
two nations, the Moabites and the Ammo- 
nites, who in the years to come were a per- 
petual hindrance, stumbling-block, and 
37 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



cause of defeat and disaster to the descend- 
ants of Abraham in their attempts to enter 
into God's promises to him, and to dwell in 
the promised land* Even one thousand 

Neh. iv. 13. four hundred and fifty-three years later, it 
was Tobiah the Ammonite who opposed 
and discouraged Nehemiah and his brave 
little band, in their noble work of rebuilding 
Neh. ii. 10. the ruined wall of Jerusalem; because "it 
grieved him exceedingly that there was 
come a man to seek the welfare of the chil- 
dren of Israel/' 

Rom. viii. 26. Truly "we know not what we should 
pray for as we ought/' How thankfully 
we remember that "The Spirit Himself 
maketh intercession for us with groanings 

Rom. viii. 27. which cannot be uttered* And He that 
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the 
mind of the Spirit, because He maketh 
intercession for the saints according to the 
will of God/' 
1 Tim. ii. 1. If your "intercessions for all men" are to 
be within the will of God, they must be 
inspired by that patient, all- wise Spirit 

38 



CHAPTER V 



THE FIRE BENEATH 

E NOW reach the very essential of 
all true prayer: "Praying in the Jude 20. 
Holy Ghost" 
Never attempt unaided prayer* To do 
so, is to court unreality, and consequent dis- 
appointment* 

A prayer-meeting held without the real- 
ised Presence and Power of the Holy 
Spirit, resembles a group of perished people 
gathering for warmth and brightness 
around a fireplace in which the fuel is all 
laid and ready, but to which no match has 
been applied* Would they not go away 
chilled and disheartened? Coal, logs, and 
seats around a hearth, do not, in them- 
selves, constitute a fire, if the essential be 
lacking* 

The incense, used in the tabernacle wor- 

39 




THE GOLDEN CENSER 



ship, is, throughout the Bible, the special 
Ps. cxli. 2. type of prayer* See Psalm cxli* verse 2* 
"Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as 
Rev. viii. 3, 4. incense/' Also Revelation viii* 3rd and 
4th verses: "And another angel came and 
stood at the altar, having a golden censer; 
and there was given unto him much in- 
cense, that he should offer it with the pray- 
ers of all saints upon the golden altar which 
was before the throne* And the smoke of 
the incense, which came with the prayers 
of the saints, ascended up before God out 
of the angel's hand/' 

Now turn to Leviticus xvi* in order to 
find the great lesson taught by this type* 

In the J 2th and \ 3th verses we read: 
Lev. xvi. 12. "And Aaron shall take a censer full of 
burning coals of fire from off the altar be- 
fore the Lord, and his hands full of sweet 
incense beaten small* and bring it within 
the veil* And he shall put the incense upon 
the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of 
the incense may cover the mercy-seat/' 

Incense, we remember, is a hard, ar- 

40 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



omatic substance, somewhat resembling 
resin or gum* In its natural condition it has 
very little perfume, and no rising power. 
But put fire beneath it, and, at once, clouds 
of all-pervading fragrance mount and rise, 
filling and permeating the entire place. 

Have you been conscious sometimes of a 
coldness and deadness in your prayers? 
Have you said: "Alas, they rise no higher 
than the ceiling I They do not reach the 
mercy-seat; they are not wafted to the 
throne of God/' 

Have you forgotten the Fire ? Have you 
entered the Holy of Holies, the inmost sanc- 
tuary of prayer, with your hands full of 
incense — incense beaten small, it may be; 
for great need and long vigil have a way of 
breaking the anxious heart — yet hard and 
cold, for all that; devoid of rising power? 

Where is the Fire? Must you lay that 
hard, cold, broken incense before the mercy- 
seat and go your way sadly, sighing for 
the fragrance, yearning for the ascending 
clouds? 

41 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



Where is the Fire, upon which to place 
your incense? 
Jude 20. It is here! "Praying in the Holy 
Eph. vi. 18. Ghost*" 44 Praying always with all prayer 
and supplication in the Spirit*" For " The 
Rom. viii. 26. Spirit also helpeth our infirmities*" 

No more cold, formal, earth-weighted 
prayers, when you have learned to lay 
your broken incense upon the almighty Fire 
in the Golden Censer of His Presence 
within the soul* 

This is the precious secret of Inspired 
Prayer* 



42 



CHAPTER VI 



"ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD" 



'ET US now consider this subject in 



its practical bearings: firstly, as re- 



^ gards collective petitions *, secondly, 
as regards individual prayers for individ- 
uals* 

Many who read these pages will remem- 
ber a certain gathering, at a Convention, a 
few years ago, which unexpectedly became 
an all-night of prayer and testimony* Hun- 
dreds of earnest-minded people spent hours 
upon their knees, and a large part of the 
proceedings consisted in one voice exclaim- 
ing: * O God, convert Ireland ! 99 most of 
those present immediately taking up the 
cry, " Ireland! Ireland! Ireland! " until the 
entire neighbourhood rang with it* "O 
God, save Scotland ! " came from another 
voice in the assembly* 44 Scotland ! Scot- 




43 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



land ! Scotland ! * — u O God, revive Lon- 
don ! 99 44 London ! London ! London ! 99 

The quiet night resounded with these 
cries of impassioned faith and zeal* 

But — was Ireland converted ? Was 
Scotland saved ? Has a revival reached 
London ? 

Now, we want to realise this* If 
prayer for the salvation of a country, 
of a town, of a community of people 
were an inspired and legitimate prayer, 
it would not necessitate hours of vigil 
and agonising before the Lord; nor would 
it require shouts which resembled the 

i Kings xviii. CHCS of the prophets of Baal, rather than 

Matt. xiv. 2 2 . the quiet mountain-top prayers of the Lord 
Jesus Christ It would be sufficient that 

Matt. xvii. 20. one child of God, with 44 faith as a grain of 
mustard seed 99 should say: "Father, con- 
vert every unconverted soul in London to- 
night; for Jesus Christ's sake: Amen" — 
and every unconverted soul in London 
would necessarily be converted, because of 

i john v. 14. two promises: "If we ask anything ac- 

44 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



cording to His will, He heareth us*" And 
"Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father, in John xvi. 
My name, He will give it you/' 

No desire could be more clearly in ac- 
cordance with the Father's will, than the 
desire for the salvation of others* And i Tim. ii. 
every prayer put up in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, reaches the throne* John xr. : 

Why then is the world not saved ? What 
renders these prayers practically null and 
void ? 

The fact that God cannot deny Himself. 
He cannot take from man a gift bestowed* 

The great law of human free-will inter- 
venes* It is the law to which the Redeemer 
of the World bowed, when He said: 44 1 John xvii 
pray not for the world/' It is the law to 
which His people must bow when they 
face the problem of the unbelievers and the 
unsaved* 

" Go, and preach " is our Lord's com- Ma rk xvi. 
mand; and we need to realise that we have 
no right to change that command into 
44 kneel and pray*" 

45 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



It is as easy to say, "O God, save 
China! " as to put a threepenny bit into 
the plate at a missionary meeting; in fact 
such a prayer is worth less than a three- 
penny bit, and partakes rather of the nature 
of the proverbial button, because it is un- 
cashable* China will be saved, when 
China's millions believe; "and how shall 
they believe in Him of Whom they have 
Rom. x. i 4 . not heard ? And how shall they hear with- 
out a preacher ? And how shall they 
Matt. ix. 38. preach, except they be sent ? 9 * " Pray ye 
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He 
will send forth labourers into His harvest/' 

Now, as regards the important subject of 
prayer for individuals — a wife's prayers for 
an unbelieving husband; a husband's pray- 
ers for an unsaved wife; parents' for chil- 
dren ; a friend's for a friend* Will the right 
understanding of this subject curtail or limit 
these earnest, anxious pleadings, or cause 
them altogether to cease ? Oh, far from it I 
Rather shall we continue to pray with fresh 
hope, and with renewed comfort and ex- 

46 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



pectation, when we realise that our peti- 
tions are flowing through inspired chan- 
nels, and that the Holy Spirit is making in- 
tercession for us, " according to the will of Rom. V m. 27 . 
God*" 

Also, when we have definitely realised 
that the final responsibility of choice rests 
with each individual soul, a burden, which 
we were never meant to bear, will be lifted 
from us, and there will be no danger of a 
dark cloud of misunderstanding arising be- 
tween us and our loving Heavenly Father* 

Surely those of us who are called to min- 
ister to souls, are frequently confronted with 
this difficulty* Heartbroken children of 
God, worn with yearning prayer, come to 
us, sighing : "Ah, I have prayed for the sal- 
vation of various relatives and friends for 
years, yet they are still unconverted* Now 
I feel my own faith failing* Why does not 
God save them ? Surely this petition is ac- 
cording to His will ? " 

Quite lately the case was brought to the 
knowledge of the writer of this little book, 

47 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



of an aged Christian lady whose faith in her 
God and in prayer was practically wrecked, 
because her son, for whom she had prayed 
daily during; forty years, had died, an 
atheist* 

Now, however grievous might be such a 
sorrow, there could be no question of loss of 
faith, or of any cloud between the trustful 
soul and its God, if we realise that He could 
not respond to prayers which asked Him to 
go behind His own great primal laws of 
human choice, and of free-will* 

Confronted by so hard a test, we should 
stand with faithful Abraham upon the 
plains of Mamre, and say: " Shall not the 
Judge of all the earth do right ? 99 And the 
deep rest of fellowship with our Divine 
Lord in this, would prove an added bless- 
ing to our prayer-life* 

Furthermore, a right apprehension of this 
subject will be an incentive to fulfilling in 
the home, and in the inner circle of friend- 
ship, the command of our Lord Jesus 
Mark xvi. 15. Christ: " Go, preach/' 

48 



THE 



GOLDEN 



CENSER 



How often a wife, who speaks sadly of 
having prayed for her unconverted hus- 
band during many years, considers that she 
has completely fulfilled her part, by all the 
hours of secret prayer, in her own chamber, 
and she must now " leave the rest to God/' 
Who, 44 in His own good time/' will hear 
and answer her prayers, and will save that 
soul* 

Ah, poor anxious heart, ask thyself, hon- 
estly ! Has not this easier way of prayer, 
served to close thine eyes to the clear duty 
of brave word and faithful testimony ? 
Hast thou been asking thy God to do that 
which thou thyself shouldest rather have 
been doing ? " Go, preach ! " 

The word "go " is very simple, and in 
your case probably means: rise from your 
knees and go downstairs to the familiar 
room where sits one, for whom you have 
prayed during all these years, but to whom 
you have never spoken of your Lord* 

Or, if your prayers have been on behalf 
of an unconverted son, abroad, it may mean 

49 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



that you must go to your desk and sit down 
to write a letter — a simple, earnest letter — 
Phil. iii. 14. which shall open his eyes to God's high 
calling, for him, in Christ Jesus ; and which 
shall cause him to listen at last to the plead- 
ing of that patient, loving Spirit, Whom he 
has long resisted, but Who, in response to 
your prayers, has never ceased to strive 
with him* 

Yes; the meaning of " go " is very sim- 
ple* The exact word, in the Greek, used in 
Mark xvi. i S . Mark xvi* 15 (porenomai), signifies to 
pass on. 

The word " preach " is more compli- 
cated, and requires careful study; because 
many Greek words in the original are all 
translated "preach" in our version; yet 
they hold many meanings other than that 
connected, as a rule, with pulpit and gown* 

Let us glance at a few of these, giving 
one reference, only, for each* 

"To tell, or announce thoroughly/' 
Luke ix* 60* 

"To speak throughout/' Acts xx* 7 
and 9* 



50 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



44 To tell good news or tidings/' Luke 
iv* 43* 

" To tell thoroughly/' Acts iv* Z 
44 To proclaim as a herald/' Matt 
isLL 

44 To talk, or discourse/' Mark ii* 2* 
Study these various passages and mean- 
ings; then ask yourself whether you have 
done all these things in your own home; 
amid your circle of friends; throughout 
your neighbourhood* 

If not, look up, O praying soul ! You, 
whose faith seems clouded by long silent 
waiting; look up and see your risen Lord 
standing before you, His hand upon the 
open door, as He points the way, with a 
look of unutterable comprehension and 
love, and says to you : 44 Go; preach/' 



51 



CHAPTER VH 



HE SHALL COMFORT YOUR 
HEARTS " 



© 



UT POSSIBLY some may still 
say: "Are we then to cease pray- 
ing for the unconverted ? 99 
i Thess. v. 17. Most emphatically not* " Pray without 
ceasing but taking careful heed that your 
prayer-energy is directed along inspired 
channels; that is to say along the lines 
clearly laid down, by precept and by prac- 
tice, in God's Holy Word* 

Moreover, should you find therein any 
line of prayer for the unconverted, not 
mentioned in these pages — any method 
of petition warranted by the Word, 
which has been here overlooked — then use 
that method, pray along that line, and the 
Divine blessing will rest upon your pray- 
1 john v. i 4 . ers ; for 44 This is the confidence that we 
have in Him, that, if we ask anything ac- 
52 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



cording to His will, He heareth list And if 

we know that He hear us, whatsoever We I John v. 15. 

ask, we know that we have the petitions 

that we desired of Him/' 

But we need to remember that actual 
" petition " — even of a wise and an inspired 
kind — is but one phase of prayer. 

Of the many Hebrew and Greek words 
translated "to pray " in our version, only a 
few mean 44 to ask " ; while of those trans- 
lated * prayer," two only actually mean a 
request or supplication* Other meanings 
are — in the former case : 44 To bow down/* 
" To meditate," " To want," 44 To ask or 
interrogate," "To call for"; and, in the 
latter: "A whisper," "An intercession," "A 
pouring out," and "A song of praise*" 

Surely one or other of these definitions 
will meet our every need* 

How often a prayer for an unconverted 
child, takes the form of an outpouring* "O, 2 s am . xvm. 
my son, Absalom, my son, my son Absa- 
lom ! Would God I had died for thee, O 
Absalom, my son, my son ! " 

53 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



How consoling: to remember that the 
2 cor. i. 3 , 4. heart of u the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God 
of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all 
2 Thess. ii. 16. our tribulations " — ** God, even our Father, 
which hath loved us, and hath given us 
everlasting: consolation and good hope 
through grace ** — can understand the cry of 
anguish of an earthly parent's heart over a 
Eph. ii. i. son who is u dead in trespasses and sins/' 
2 Thess. ii. 17. He shaU "Comfort your hearts, and stablish 
you in every good word and work/' Even 
u a whisper/' or an earnest meditation, can 
penetrate to the Infinite, and shall soon be- 
come a " Song of Praise," as you say : 
Luke xv. 24. " For this my son was dead, and is alive 
again; he was lost, and is found*" 

But, remember, the prodigal had to 
"Come to himself " in the ** far country/' 
He had to make the effort of will, which 
turned from the far country to the father's 
house, leaving behind both the riotous liv- 
ing, and the consequent famine and husks* 
Alone and unaided he had to come to the 

54 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 

point of saying : " I will arise and go to my 

father, and will say unto him, * Father, I Luke xv. 18. 

have sinned/ " 



55 



■ 
j 

CHAPTER VIE 

TO THOSE IN THE FAR COUNTRY 

HIS little volume will probably be 
read by some who are yet in the 
** far country **\ who are spending 
all the best of life in the pursuit of amuse- 
ment ; in the absorbing pressure of busi- 
ness; in the rush for self-advancement; 
even, perhaps, in that weary bondage of 
Titus iii. 3 . " serving divers lusts and pleasures" upon 
which St* Paul himself looked back, in 
vivid remembrance; a condition of soul 
which our Lord described as being 
Luke viii. 14. 44 choked with cares and riches and pleas- 
ures of this life," and bringing " no fruit to 
perfection/' 

The 44 pleasures of this life n are, without 
doubt, satisfying at the moment; but — 
Heb. xii. 17. there comes an 44 afterward/* 

Esau thoroughly enjoyed the red pottage; 

56 




THE GOLDEN CENSER 



but, " afterward, when he would have in- 
herited the blessing, he was rejected; for he 
found no place of repentance; though he 
sought it carefully with tears/' And the 
most solemn point in the story is, that " no 
place of repentance" might be more cor- 
rectly translated 44 No way to change his 
mind/' If sorrow had been all that was 
needed, Esau was sorry enough* He 
44 cried with a great and exceeding bitter Gen. 
cry"; he even "lifted up his voice, and 
wept "; but, for all that, " he found no way 
to change his mind*" He had given in for 
so long to self-indulgence and self-pleasing, 
that he could not arrive at the change of 
mind which alone could have brought him 
into blessing* 

For those in the * far country " our sub- 
ject holds just one clear message* It is this* 

When you give yourself a few quiet mo- 
ments in which to face the "afterward/* 
do you not have a vague sort of idea that 
all is bound to come right in the end; that 
a life which began in the light of a Chris- 

57 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



tian home, cannot close in the outer dark- 
ness; that your mother's prayers cannot 
fail to be heard; and that, in answer to those 
prayers, God will save you somehow — 
some day ? 

Undoubtedly your mother's prayers have 
been heard* 

It may even be in answer to some prayer 
on your behalf that you now find yourself 
with this little book in your hands, and 
have been led to read it, up to this point 

But its message for you is clearly this* 
Your birthright as a human soul is the great 
gift of free-will, the power and the respon- 
sibility of choice* 

No prayers, however yearning, however 
constant, however persistent, can take from 
you that gift* Omnipotence Itself cannot 
save you against your will* 

There is one very solemn passage on 
prayer for others, to which the attention of 
those for whom the first seven chapters of 
this book were written, was not directed* 
We came very near it, once or twice, yet 

58 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



we passed it by* We left it for this final 
chapter* 

Let us look at it now* 

The First Epistle of St* John, the 5th 
chapter and the \ 6th verse: " If any man i John v. 16. 
see his brother sin a sin which is not unto 
death, he shall ask, and He shall give him job xia. 8. 
life for them that sin not unto death* There 
is a sin unto death: I do not say that he 
shall pray for it," 

Oh, mark those closing words I Every 
other sin you have committed has been 
fully atoned for by the Lord Jesus Christ* 
The three facts of Isaiah liii* 6 are each 
equally true* "All we like sheep have gone is. mi. 6. 
astray t we have turned every one to his 
own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him 
the iniquity of us all." If we are forced, by 
self-knowledge, to assent to these first two 
facts, in their sadness, how can we with- 
hold our assent to the glad certainty of a 
finished redemption ? 

What then is the sin unto death — that sin 
which is past praying for? 

59 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



Obviously, it is the only damning sin — 
John iii. 16. the sin of unbelief* u For God so loved the 
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in Him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life* ♦ ♦ * 
John iii. 18. He that believeth on Him is not con- 
demned: but He that believeth not is con- 
demned already/' 

Belief and life; unbelief and death* 
Throughout the Word, they go together* 

Again we are confronted with the solemn 
fact that the unbelieving mind cannot be 
prayed into belief* " I do not say that he 
shall pray for it," says the tenderest writer 
of all the Bible scribes* 

What then is to be done with this sin past 
praying for ? 

Each soul, for itself, must definitely give 
it up; making the mental surrender which 
means passing from death unto life; from 
unbelief into the belief which involves pos- 
i john v. 12. session* u He that hath the Son hath life; 

and he that hath not the Son of God hath 
not life*" 



60 



THE GOLDEN CENSER 



But this entering into the blessing of life 
eternal, must be a definite act of your own 
free-wilL 

Mark this* A young man of the world, 
impelled by a certain amount of good inten- 
tion, consulted the Lord Jesus Christ as to 
his chances of inheriting eternal life* He 
stood face to face with the Saviour of the 
World* He heard the lips of the Son of 
God Himself say: " Come* and follow Ma tt. xix. «. 
Me*" Yet — he went away! 

" The Spirit and the bride say* Come* Rev. x™. x 7 . 
And let him that heareth say* Come* ♦ ♦ ♦ 
And whosoever will* let him take the water 
of life freely*" 

Prayer may have held open the door for 
you* during all these years; but prayer can- 
not compel you to enter ; prayer cannot pass 
you in* 

The door is open still* There are 
watchers at the gate* 

But* out in the far country* you, yourself, 
must say: " I will arise and go*" 



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